Mumbai bans single-use plastics

City of Mumbai enforces ban on plastic bags, cups, bottles and other single-use plastics; offenders punished with fines or jail time

June 28, 2018 Greta Stieger

In an article published on June 25, 2018, by the newspaper The Guardian, reporter Michael Safi informed that the Indian city of Mumbai has banned the use of plastic bags, cups, bottles and other single-use plastic items. Residents will face fines or jail time if they are caught using the prohibited items. Fines have already been imposed on some businesses, including McDonald’s and Starbucks, Safi reported.

Kamlash Mohan Chaudhary, a Mumbai resident, stated that “[f]or the pollution situation it’s fine to do this but for the people it is a big problem.” He explained that “people here carry everything in plastic bags.” Chaudhary therefore now carries a cloth bag and noted that his local mutton vendor started wrapping meat in newspaper instead of plastic sheets. Another problem is the strong rain that soaks through the jute or cloth bags people are now using as alternatives to plastic bags, Chaudhary described. Because of the fines reportedly imposed on residents, “[w]e are all very afraid,” he added.

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